Ne-Yo thinks we should mute R. Kelly, but not Michael Jackson

The artists' new documentaries are raising a lot of questions

The recent docuseries 'Surviving R. Kelly' reveals the stories of alleged victims of the R&B singer, and has garnered a lot of attention towards the long ignored but seriously disturbing allegations of sexual abuse by the artist. Now, news of an upcoming documentary called 'Leaving Neverland' is set to reveal two men's childhood sexual abuse allegations regarding Michael Jackson, and questions are rising as to whether people should treat the artists in the same way.

Musicians have been quite vocal about cancelling Kelly, with artists like Lady Gaga apologizing for working with him, vowing to remove any collaborations with him from digital platforms, and people of all kinds boycotting his music and rallying to cancel his tour dates.

Ne-Yo is one such artist, who wrote on Instagram, "There is NO excuse. Music is important. It really is. But it’s not more important than protecting our children, protecting our little girls. PERIOD. #IHaveADaughter"

R. Kelly's music was good, but it was nothing compared to Michael Jackson's legacy, so it could be argued that it's easier to mute Kelly than it is Jackson. TMZ spoke to Ne-Yo who readily confirmed that he doesn't listen to Kelly's music anymore, but when asked if we should similarly mute Jackson—seeing as in both cases the allegations have not been proven in court—the R&B singer said no.

"There were no videos of Michael Jackson peeing on little girls or little boys. There was no undeniable proof that Michael Jackson did any of that stuff," he argued. Ne-Yo claimed that a lot of Jackson's accusers admitted after the artist died that they were lying just to get some money. As TMZ notes, "He did not mention that Jackson paid $20 million to settle the sexual assault lawsuit filed by Jordan Chandler's parents."

Ne-Yo added that we have proof of R. Kelly's abuse—only cemented even more by Kelly's daughter's powerful statement shared to Instagram in which she calls him a "monster"—and further tried to diminish the accusations against Jackson by explaining that with celebrity and fame always comes allegations.

Jackson's estate reportedly released a statement saying the documentary is “just another rehash of dated and discredited allegations,” claiming that the two accusers have both testified under oath that the singer never did anything appropriate. The nature of childhood trauma, however, raises a few questions.

'Leaving Neverland' is set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25.